Changing a Constant
by Wildcat317
Summary: Another Booker DeWitt fails the experiment and Rosalind is giving up. Robert pleads for a last chance and Rosalind, also wanting the experiment to succeed, gives it to him. Now planning a new setup, Robert decides that Booker cannot accomplish the task they have set out for him. In doing so Robert decides that he must now change his constant for a more constant, constant.
1. A Changed Constant

**AN: So, I've been replaying Bioshock Infinite, and I couldn't help but wonder, what would the game be like if it was Jack from Bioshock instead of Booker? I always felt that Jack had some more smarts than Booker and**** this little gem is a product of that stray thought. The story will be told in first-person from Jack's POV, so that'll be fun. Hope you guys enjoy, and let me know what you think. Also if there are some events that are changed from the game, just remember, this is a NOT Booker DeWitt. So there.**

The fight was over. With help from the little sisters that I had saved on my journey through Rapture, Atlas- no, _Fontaine_ was dead. This whole nightmare was nearing the end, I had just sent the girls up in a bathysphere. It was my turn next. Time to put this whole bloodbath behind me.

As I stepped toward the bathysphere, I noticed what looked like a hole next to it. I wouldn't have paid it any mind, but this hole looked to me as if it was black and white on the other side. But that couldn't be right could it? Before I could take even one step closer to the oddity in front of me, the 'hole' seemed to rip open and expand, engulfing the whole room. I watched in awe as two figures stepped through with such nonchalance that one may have thought they were just strolling about the park or some other such place. The figures (which appears to be a man and a woman) stop in front of me. But how did they get here?

"Would you kindly stop your staring, it's quite rude" says the woman, causing me to flinch reflexively at the 'oh so familiar' words of the man who I once thought of as an ally. The look on her face gives the insinuation that she said that on purpose, but that's just not possible. Right?

"Yes, that is quite rude." Says the man, "But, we didn't come here to give you a lesson on proper etiquette."

"No, we didn't."

"We should have."

"We had."

"We had?"

"Yes, we have had."

"Ah, I understand."

As they continue juggling a conversation, I try my hardest to keep up, but their verbal tennis match has thrown me for a loop and I find myself more confused than I had begun, and _that_ is saying something.

"Excuse me, but if you wouldn't mind, could you explain what you're doing here?" The pair of them stop their chatter and refocus on me. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

"What are we doing here?" the woman asks the man.

"An experiment."

"I figured, but what are we doing with him? What about the 'other' him?"

"Ah, well, you were right-" "Like always." "-and the 'other' him repeatedly failed. It seems that was his constant."

"So, I ask again, what are we doing here?"

"But are you not already aware?"

"I want it in speech, helps clarify things."

"Does it?"

I've known these two for all of five minutes and I already have a headache. I don't think I have ever met two people who could confuse me this much, but, well, I am seventy-six percent positive that these people take the cake.

"Well, pleasure meeting you, I must be on my way." Turning to the bathysphere with hopes of leaving, I am quite shocked to find the two oddballs standing in front of me. I quickly turn back and see nothing but air. "What- how?" As perplexed as I am, I realize one thing. They are now standing in between me and the bathysphere. Damn. I reach for one of my weapons, but nothing is there. Not even my wrench. I try to activate a plasmid. None of them are working.

"Mr. Ryan," says the man, interrupting my panic, "We have need of your services." Seeing the untrusting expression on my face, he continues, "We need you to go to a city, similar to this one, and rescue a girl." Alarm bells immediately ring in my head. Rescue a girl from what? But more importantly, a city similar to this one in what way? The insane people? The liars? The water?

"What would you have me do?" I ask cautiously. The only reason I'm even considering the offer is that a girl may be in trouble, and if this 'similar city' is as similar to Rapture as he insinuates, than I must tear it down. Places like this, they shouldn't exist. It will always end in blood.

"The choice is yours." Says the woman.

"It always is." Says the man.

"Should you come with us-"

"-you would be forced to do more of the same."

"But you would almost definitely be more bewildered."

"Oh, most definitely, but I think he will be more befuddled than bewildered."

"Perplexed, perhaps?"

"Indeed."

As the two were going another round, I thought over my options. I could just leave. They did say it was my choice, didn't they? But… What then? After I move on to the surface. What will I do? Where will I go? I imagine I'd stay with the sisters for a time, but, I couldn't do that forever. No, absolutely not. Better to go someplace my 'talents' will be useful. Maybe I could save people as well.

"I accept," I state, causing the man to smile.

"I'm surprised."

"You always are."

"I am just always convinced he'll decline."

"I'm surprised he hasn't."

"He has."

"He has?"

"Yes, he has."

"Well that makes loads more sense."

"I imagine it does."

"Um, excuse me," I interject once again "Before I go with you, may I ask you one question? What exactly happened to the 'him' you were speaking of before?"

"Hmm, and what did happen to him? He was a constant." The woman questions,

"He stopped." The man replies,

"Stopped what?"

"He stopped being a constant."

"Ah, so this one is a constant," if the woman is surprised, she hides it well, "I can't say I approve, changing the experiment midway, although I never really approved of the experiment at all."

"But I have changed nothing. There will always be constants and variables. There will always be a lighthouse, a man, and a city. I am just changing the man."

With that last disordered conversation, I feel faint. I start swaying from side to side and I lean against the wall to keep my balance. Slowly sliding down the wall, I look up to the mysterious couple in front of me. Closing my eyes I hear one final sentence.

"You Jack Ryan are that man."

It isn't until a time later that I realize exactly what I am getting into. If presented with the choice again, I would most likely hesitate to accept offers from strange individuals in the future.


	2. Into the Air

**AN: Hey guys, Wildcat here! I was really shocked that I actually got a good response to this story. Truth be told, I didn't think that many people would like it. Guess I was wrong! Anyways, I'm thinking about updating this story every week or so. I don't want to put in an exact day, cause school and all that jazz. But I would like you guys' feedback. So, favorite or whatever. Leave a review as well. They help me know how I'm doin'. Thx. P.S. I made Jack afraid of heights, I figured it would be pretty entertaining and I got a few ideas I'd like to work with as well. Bye! -Wildcat**

The feeling of something wet on my face wakes me up.

Groggily opening my eyes, I'm alarmed by the scenery around me. I am sat in a small boat in the middle of what appears to be a thunderstorm.

"It seems he's awake." Says the woman from before.

"Yes, it seems he is."

"About time to."

"I was wondering if he would ever wake up."

I sigh deeply. Having just woken up, my brain is not prepared to be assaulted be a consistent stream of dialogue. "Excuse me," I quickly interject, "If I am to be working with you, would it not be appropriate for me to know your names?"

"So now he learns to not be rude." Says the woman.

"Yes, but better late than never."

"Undeniably."

"My name is Robert Lutece." Says the man.

"Mine is Rosalind Lutece." Says the woman.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." They say together. I'm not entirely sure which is more off-putting, the fact that they have similar names, look similar, or speak together.

"So, where are we headed?" I ask,

"Somewhere for us to know about-" starts Robert

"And for you to find out." Rosalind finishes.

* * *

After sitting in the boat for an undeterminable amount of time, Robert rows us to a small dock connected to a lighthouse. "Here we are." He says and if I tried to identify the emotion on his blank face, I think it would be something comparable to pity.

I turn to the left and reach a hand to the ladder connected to the docks, "Ah, can't believe I forgot," I turn my head to see Rosalind thrusting out a wooden box with a small plaque on it. "This will be of some use to you."

Raising an eyebrow, I take the box from her and examine it. 'Jack Ryan, Survivor of Rapture' is written upon the plaque. Frowning slightly, I lift the lid of the container. Enclosed inside it was a few silver coins, a picture of a young woman (who I assume is my target), a card with some random symbols, and… a wrench. But not just any wrench, MY wrench, big, red, and deadly. I look up at the Luteces' beaming with ten-thousand volt smile. "We were going to give you a gun of some sort, but we figured 'why not give him something he'll actually use'," Explains Robert, "Get a move on, now."

Giving him my best look of determination, I step over to the ladder and climb up to the dock. I take a couple of steps forward before hearing Rosalind ask,

"Shall we tell him when we'll be returning?"

"Would that change anything?" Robert replies,

"It might give him some comfort."

"At least that's something we can agree on."

Watching them slowly sail away fills me with an unimaginable amount of dread. I am just now coming to the realization that, if I wanted to back out of this whole ordeal, that was my last chance. I am now a player in this game of theirs and the thought that I have absolutely no idea what awaits me in this 'city' is worrisome.

Regardless, I turn and face the lighthouse, trying to ignore the extreme sense of nostalgia and foreboding that a lone lighthouse in the middle of a storm gives me. Taking my wrench out of the box, I grip it tightly, shifting its weight from one hand to the other. With my weapons familiar weight, I walk to the stone building, the only sounds I can hear are the waves cascading behind me.

-Line Break-

The first thing I notice as I inch closer towards the building, is a note on the door. 'Ryan- Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt. This is your last chance!' Debt? What debt? I don't think that I owe money to any shady individuals. I mean, I've been stuck in an underwater hellhole for the majority the time. How could I owe a debt?

I cringed as the door creaked open. The room was dimly lit, and it looks as if it hasn't been kept well. On a wooden beam in the middle of the room is a woven piece of cloth hanging above a basin of water with the inscription 'of thy sins I wash thee'. I smile sadly and shake my head gently. "I wish you could, I truly do…"

As I ascend the stairs, I hear the faint sound of music. Ah, finally. Looks like there _is_ someone here. Anxious to meet someone else in the otherwise abandoned lighthouse, I rapidly climb the steps, the music getting louder the closer I get. Arriving on the floor with the radio, I look around only to find myself as alone as ever. Sighing, I start looking in the dresser and drawers for anything of value or use. What can I say? Old habits die hard. I pocket five silver looking coins and continue on my way further up the stairs.

Only to come to a stop in front of a bloody mess of a body.

A man tied to a chair and sitting in the middle of a rather large puddle of what I assume is his own blood. There is a bag over his head obscuring my view of his face, but I can see the distinct shape of a bullet hole in the center of the bag, right were his forehead should be. A note with a single phrase lies on his chest. 'Don't disappoint us.'

The message was obviously meant for me, no doubt about that. I let out a breath and gaze at the body with pity. "I'm sorry, you were killed as a warning. You probably didn't deserve that." I say these words and I try to put real meaning in them, but in truth I have grown far so accustomed to seeing dead bodies that my words are worth a pinch of salt. The side of me that became jaded in Rapture is too far gone to give sympathy to a mere body. It saddens me that I can't sympathize, but I must continue. I have a job to do.

* * *

Reaching the top of the lighthouse, I immediately notice a set of three bells each with a symbol on them. A scroll, a key, a sword. I laugh lightly and pull out the card the Luteces' gave me. It seems those random symbols weren't so random after all.

Ringing the bells in the order inscribed on the card, I am startled to hear what sounds like a horn in the sky. It makes an abundance of noise but after a few short moments it just stops. Confused I look around for something, anything, to happen. But nothing does. Then I notice it. The bells have gone and in its place a small room with a small red-cushioned chair at its heart. I walk up to the chair warily, taking note of the small metal wrist restraints. Groaning I mutter, "Looks like I'm not going anywhere until I sit in this chair trap." Disliking the whole situation, I pull out the Luteces' box once again. I have a bad feeling and my feelings are usually right. I hook the wrench onto the belt loop of my gray slacks and pocket the picture of the girl. Tossing the box in a random direction, I grimace and sit in the chair.

Almost instantly, the metal restraints lock my hands into place, effectively trapping me. I don't bother struggling as I am aware of the futileness of this action. A metal container starts to come up around me as a women's voice plays in the background. "Make yourself ready pilgrim, the bindings are there as a safeguard," she says as my chair starts turning and the metal wall start to conform around me forming some sort of pod. The chair pitches downward quickly and I feel uneasy as I see what look to be rockets start spewing fire.

"Ascension", the woman on the intercom says, "In the count of 5," Ascension? What does she mean ascension? Am I going up? But I thought I would be going underwater. Robert said it would be similar to Rapture, correct? "In the count of 4," No, I don't want to do this. I cannot go up. This simply cannot happen. "3…2…," I probably should have told the twins that I have an intense fear of high places. Honestly, I have no idea how Fontaine convinced me to get on that plane, mind control or no. "…1…," Closing my eyes and gripping the arms of the seat with a ferocity that I was unaware existed inside me, a small scream of terror erupts from my throat, before I quickly silence it. "Ascension," the voice calls, but I don't seem to hear as I am doing all I can to keep my state of mind calm. "It's, alright." I say to myself, "It'll be over in a moment. I hope. It better be." I am vaguely aware of the voice counting out the intervals of how high we have gotten, but to be honest, I don't want to know.

I feel the pod slow down greatly and hear the intercom women announce, "Hallelujah."

Slowly peeling open my eyes, I am presented with the view of the most remarkable sight since my first viewing of Rapture. It's a city in the sky. And it's beautiful. This reinforced my guard. I thought Rapture was beautiful once. When I first laid eyes upon it. Maybe this city is as similar as Robert says.


End file.
